Rotary steam-engine.



' S. OLSON;

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE; APPLICATION FILED 0OT.15, 1902.

'PATENTED MAY 12, 1903 N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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. N0 MODEL.

New STATE PatentedMay 12, 1903.

{PAT T ()rricn.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFIGATIONfm-ming part of Letters Patent-No. 727,677, dated May 1a, 1903.

' Application filed October 15, i902.- Serial No. 127,363. at. met;

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL- OLSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The improvements consist in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts hereinafter particularly set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed, the object of the invention being to provide simple, economical, and efiicient compound rotary steam-engines.

Figure 1 of the drawings represents a front elevation of a rotary steam-engine in accordance with my invention, partly in section; Fig. 2, a sectional view of a portion of the engine inverted, this view being indicated by lines 2 2 in the first figure; Fig. 3, a partlysectional end elevation of said engine, the plane of the section being indicated byline 3 3,in said first figure; and Fig. 4:, a sectional View of the aforesaid engine onthe planeindicated by line 4 4: in said first figure.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A indicates the engine-base, and Beach of a pair of standards on said base. Keyed or other wise rigid in heads of the standards are pins 0, having parallel offset arms D, in which the ends of a shaft D have theirbearing, and an annular shell E, having a removable head E, constitutes the engine-cylinder, that is provided with central outwardly-extending head-spiders terminatiu g in collars b, loose on said pins, a power-transmitting belt-pulley F being shown in connection with one of said collars. East on shaftD within the cylinder are annular blocks GG, that constitute sections of the engine-piston that has eccentric contact with said cylinder, the edges of said piston being beveled to match beveled surfaces in'the aforesaid cylinder, as shown in Fig. 1, and thus facilitate its steam-tight arrangement. An inner annular flange H of the cylinder fits space between the piston-sections G G, and thereby divides said cylinder into chambers of unequal area, this flange being shown as having portions thereof separated by a radial inder-wa'll, one ahead of the other, are gates I I", each of which is preferably provided with a pivotal shoe 1), that automatically adjusts itself in conformity to the face of the enginepiston with which it has contact, and the port 0 (herein shown intermediate of terminals of cylinder-flange H) is located'between the gates. Inturned ends d of gate-yokes J J are connected to cross-heads e of pitmen K,

that are loose on shaft D of the engine, and

these pitnien have their play between arms of the spiders that are central of the cylinderheads.

Rotativeon a; stud portion of one of the standard-headsis a ring L, having an inner annular groove matching a corresponding groove in the stud to provide a steam-spacef in communication with a steam-inlet passage g in said standard-head. Rotative on a stud portion of theotlier standard-head is that one ofjthe aforesaid collars b with which pulley F has connection, and an inner-annular groove of this collar matches a corresponding outer groove in the adjacent stud to form a steamspace It in communication with an outlet-passage t in said stud. Ring L is connected by :a pipeNwith the cylinder-chamber of least area, there being a port j from steam-spacef within the ring to the pipe, and the cylinderchamber of greatest area is connected by a pipe 0 with a port 70, leading to the annular steam-space h aforesaid.

Live steam at boiler-pressureiis admitted to passageg to find itsway through space 7, port j, and pipe N to cylinder-chamber of least area, where it operates-on gate Ito actuate the engine, the pistonof which is in steamtight ecc'entric-facecontact with the'cylinder. The cylinder and piston having made onehalf of a revolution, the cylinder-chamber of least area will be full of steam, that now finds its way through port 0 into the cylinder-chamber of greatest area, where it operates on gate 1 in the same direction as the force of initial pressure, said port being gradually opened at this time by a movement of the slide H in connection with the engine-shaft. The cylinder-chamber of greatest area being filled with steam, there is exhaust therefrom as the rotation of the engine continues.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Arotarysteam-engine comprisinga shaft in stationary bearings, an annular shell constituting a cylinderhavingcenter bearing on stationary supports eccentric to the shaft, an annular piston in sections centered on said shaft to have steam-tight face contact with the cylinder, an annular flange in the cylinder engaging space between the piston-sections and dividing said cylinder into chambers of unequal area, portions of the flange being separated by a port; a gate arranged in each cylinder-chamber to extend through a cylinder-wall opening, the port aforesaid being between the gates, pitmen connecting the aforesaid shaft and gates, and a device that being rotative on a stationary bearing constitutes part of a steamway to cylinder-chamher of least area, provisions being had for exhaust of steam from cylinder-chamber of greatest area.

2. Arotarysteam-enginecomprisingashaft in stationary hearings, an annular shell constituting a cylinder having center bearingon stationary supports eccentric to the shaft, an annular piston in sections centered on said shaft, to have steam-tight face contact with the cylinder, an annular flange in the cylinder engaging space between the piston-sections and dividing the cylinder into chambers of unequal area, portions of the flange being separated by a port; means for automatically regulating area of the port in proportion to movement of the engine when steam is passing from one to the other of the cylinderchamb'ers, agate arranged in each cylinderchamber to extend through a cylinder-wall opening, the port aforesaid being between the gates, pitmen connecting the aforesaid shaft and gates, and a device that being rotative on a stationary bearing constitutes part of a steamway to cylinder-chamber of least area, provision being had for exhaust ofsteam from cylinder-chamber of greatest area.

3. Arotarysteam-enginecomprisiuga shaft in stationary bearings, an annular shell constituting a cylinder having center bearing on stationary supports eccentric to the shaft, an annular piston in sections centered on said shaft, to have steam-tight face contact with the cylinder, an annular flange in the cylinder engaging space between the piston-sections and dividing the cylinder into chambers of unequal area, portions of the flange being separated by a port; a port-controlling slide in connection with the aforesaid shaft; a gate arranged in each cylinder-chamber to extend through a cylinder-wall opening, the port aforesaid being between the gates, pitmen connecting the aforesaid shaft and gates, and a device that being rotative on a stationary bearing constitutes part of a steamway to cylinder-chamber of least area, provision being had for exhaustof steam from cylinderchamber of greatest area.

l. Arotarysteam-enginecomprisingashaft in stationary bearings, an annular shell constituting a cylinder having center bearing on stationary supports eccentric to the shaft, an annular piston in sections centered on said shaft to have steam-tight face contact with the cylinder, an annular flange in the cylinder engaging space between the piston-sections and dividing said cylinder into chambers of unequal area, portions of the flange being separated by a port; a gate arranged in each cylinder-chamber to extend through a cylinder-wall opening, the port aforesaid being between the gates, a piston-abutting foot in pivotal connection with each gate, pitmen connecting the aforesaid shaft and gates, and a device that being rotative on a stationary bearing constitutes part of a steamway to Cll[ld8l(3il&ll1b6l of least area, provision being had for exhaust of steam from cylinderchamber of greatest area.

5. A rotary steam-engine comprisingashaft in stationary bearings an annular shell constituting a cylinder having center bearing on stationary supports eccentric to the shaft, an annular piston in sections centered on said shaft and having bevel-edge contact With bevel surfaces in the cylinder with which it also has face contact, an annular flange in the cylinder engaging space between the piston-sections and dividing said cylinder into chambers of unequal area, portions of the flange being separated by a port; a gate arranged in each cylinder-chamber to extend through a cylinder-wall opening, the port aforesaid being between the gates, pitmen connecting the aforesaid shaft and gates, and a device that being rotative on a stationary bearing constitutes part of a steainway to cylinder-chamber of least area, provision being had for exhaust of steam from cylinderchamber of greatest area.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of \Viscousin, in the presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL OLSON.

WVitnesses:

N. E. OLIPHANT, BERNARD C. ROLOFF. 

